Ibrahimovic returned to Milan before the Champions League opening match
After losing 1-5 to Inter in the fourth round of Serie A, Ibrahimovic appeared at Milan's training session on the morning of September 18. The 41-year-old former striker wore black clothes and white shoes, talking to coach Stefano Pioli and assistant Giacomo Murelli while the team was warming up.
Ibrahimovic played for Milan for two periods, 2011-2012 and 2020-2023, scored 93 goals in 163 matches, won two Serie A, one Italian Super Cup and just announced his retirement in June 2023. According to Football Italy, despite being an extremely important and influential figure in the Milan dressing room, the Swedish player is currently not part of Stefano Pioli's coaching staff.
On the afternoon of September 18, during the press conference before the match against Newcastle, Pioli revealed that Ibrahimovic was scheduled to meet Milan players from September 15, before the derby with Inter, but there was a scheduling problem. According to the Italian coach, Ibrahimovic talked to the whole team, created a positive atmosphere, and the two will continue to meet at dinner.
Last season, in Serie A, the Italian Super Cup and the semi-finals of the Champions League, Milan lost four consecutive derbies, conceding seven goals and not scoring any. Reuniting in Serie A on September 16, Pioli's team received an even heavier defeat.
For the first time in 49 years, when they also lost 1-5 in a Milan derby in Serie A on March 24, 1974, Milan fell to Inter again with this score also at the highest level of Italian football. The latest defeat caused Milan to lose five consecutive derbies in all competitions to Inter for the first time in its nearly 124-year history.
"We need to change. But to be honest, it's not easy," Pioli added about the heavy loss to Inter. "We put a lot of hope into that derby, only to be hugely disappointed. But now the Champions League has arrived, luckily. It's important to start well. I've been through a lot." , from good moments to bad. The defeat in the derby weighs heavily on my shoulders and I will do anything to change the result."
The lucky draw put Milan in Group F of the Champions League of death with PSG, Dortmund and Newcastle. When asked if Milan can improve on last season's semi-final performance, Pioli replied: "That means reaching the final, and we have to take it step by step. The first goal is pass the group stage. This is a balanced group, with PSG being rated a bit higher."
Today's match at San Siro is an opportunity for Sandro Tonali to reunite with his old team Milan, just a few weeks after moving to Newcastle for a total fee of 90 million USD. Pioli said he would hug Tonali both before and after the match, and wished good luck to his former student.
